by David Virtue, VOL
Some 150 concerned laity have written an open letter to the ACNA College of Bishops saying Archbishop Steve Wood must be inhibited.
“We suggest that the archbishop be inhibited until the conclusion of the trial that will determine his guilt or innocence,” they argue.
Vows are not small matters in the Anglican tradition, they contend. The exhortation tells clergy of our duties:
I now exhort you, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to be a messenger, watchman, and steward of the Lord. Remember how great is this treasure committed to your charge. They are the sheep of Christ for whom he shed his blood. The Church and Congregation whom you will serve is his bride, his body. If the Church, or any of her members, is hurt or hindered by your negligence, you must know both the gravity of your fault, and the grievous judgment that will result (BCP 488–489 emphasis added).
As clergy in the ACNA, attending to the matter of Archbishop Wood’s accusation is part of our pastoral duties and the care of our local congregations.
There is much that would be presumptuous to comment on at this early stage. We do not write this letter with any presumption about what this investigation will reveal or what its final outcome will be. We will limit our focus to a single salient issue: Given the seriousness of the charges against our Archbishop (sexual harassment and abuse of power), we believe that a voluntary leave of absence is insufficient.
Canonically, a voluntary leave of absence allows the Archbishop to return to office when he sees fit. Instead, we suggest that the Archbishop be inhibited until the conclusion of the trial that will determine his guilt or innocence. If such a request is not granted we believe that we as clergy deserve to hear from the College of Bishops why they believe that such a step is not warranted. We understand the weight of this request and do not make it flippantly.
In the Anglican tradition, an inhibition is not a statement about the guilt or innocence of the accused. According to our canons, “An Inhibition is a temporary suspension of a Bishop (including the Archbishop), a Presbyter, or a Deacon from the exercise of ministry (Canon 9, section 1). ” It is by its very nature “temporary.”